Snow
A single snowflake on a midnight-blue marbled background ushers readers into this quiet celebration of snow that “comes softly in the night like a quiet friend” or falls so “heavy [it buries] cars up to their noses.” In brief, lyrical text, Rylant states that snow helps us notice “the delicate limbs of trees” and “the light falling from a lamppost.” It brings the delight of making snow angels and sledding and returning home to enjoy a warm drink. She urges readers to savor the phenomenon, for it remains only briefly. Stringer’s acrylic paintings make use of small boxed scenes, full and three-quarter spreads, or full-page pictures framed in white, to display a world of snow-filled wonders. Varying perspectives help readers come up close to a group of multiethnic children gazing longingly at the flakes falling outside their classroom window and then view them from above as, clad in their puffy winter gear, they are finally released to cavort in its depths. There are interior views of a grandparent and child enjoying cozy activities at home and exterior scenes of the two enjoying a walk as twilight bathes the snow in pink hues. (Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.)
Pages: 40
Ages: 4–8